Published 6:30 am, Friday, December 3, 2010

Alberto Maullon served at St. Paul The Apostle Catholic Church in Nassau Bay.

Alberto Maullon served at St. Paul The Apostle Catholic Church in Nassau Bay.

Photo: Handout Photo

Nassau Bay priest's arrest at adult video store saddens church

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A local priest has been given a leave of absence from ministerial duties after he was arrested at an adult video store in southeast Houston this week.

Alberto A. Maullon, pastor of St. Paul The Apostle Catholic Church in Nassau Bay, is charged with public lewdness, a misdemeanor, Houston police say. He is free on $1,000 bail.

Police said Maullon was arrested about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday inside Big City Adult Video at 10105 Gulf Freeway. He allegedly exposed himself to an undercover agent, who was part of a sting operation involving sexually oriented businesses, police said.

"The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston was greatly saddened to learn of the arrest of Father Alberto Maullon, who has been pastor at St. Paul The Apostle Catholic Church in Houston since 2002," it said in a statement to the news media.

The diocese also said Maullon had expressed deep sorrow for any pain caused by his arrest.

"I ask you to join me in praying for St. Paul Parish and for Father Maullon as he addresses these very personal challenges," Daniel Cardinal DiNardo said. "May the healing power of God be with all those impacted by this news."

News of the arrest of the beloved priest who had served at St. Paul for eight years stunned the parish community.

"I felt like somebody had punched me in the stomach," said Jim Lockwood, one of the church deacons. "We're disappointed, but all we can do is pray for him. We're all sinners and when you take him off that pedestal, he's just a human being."

Maullon, one of nine children, emigrated from the Philippines, where his uncle was a Catholic bishop, and attended seminary in the U.S.

He previously served as priest at St. Bartholomew the Apostle Catholic Church in Katy, the diocese said.

In both the Katy and Nassau Bay parishes, he led expansion campaigns to build new churches. St. Paul's, which seats about 800, is near Johnson Space Center and earned an architectural award this year for being the best worship space in Texas.